1 CMY3706 Contemporary Criminological Issues – Exam Q&A’s
This document is a compilation of UNISA Questions and Answers for 2016-2018
Answers are motivated by a combination of:
Page references to the UNISA Study Guide:
Short summaries and/or content from the Guide regarding the relevant topic(s) in question.
(Incorrect options are also marked where applicable, in order to identify and disregard red-herring
alternatives)
Exams covered are:
• May June (2016)
• Oct Nov (2016)
• May June (2017)
• Oct Nov (2017)
• May June (2018)
• Oct Nov (2018)
Both the multiple choice questions & answers as well as the essay type questions and answers are
included.
Please note: This document is an additional tool for exam preparation. The Stuvia-user that compiled
and uploaded this document takes no responsibility for incorrect answers. Students must ensure
that they study the prescribed material and understand the content.
,2 CMY3706 Contemporary Criminological Issues – Exam Q&A’s
May-June 2016 – Unique number 475632
Question 1
The profile of a house robber can be described as follows:
1. He is a male in the age group 17 to 25, with a criminal record and comes from a broken
home
2. He is a male with a grade 8 to grade 12 education, with a criminal record and comes from a
broken home
3. He is a male with no education, between the ages of 22 to 33 and had grown up in a
balanced home
4. He is a male between 15 and 35 years old, with basic education and comes from a broken
home
Answer: The correct answer is (2)
Refer: CMY3706 Study Guide, pg. 231, Section 5.5.6
Reasoning: The following profile of house robbers was compiled:
• Race (population group): The race of house robbers shows a demographic
spread corresponding to the composition of the country’s population: 90%
was black, 7% was coloured and 3% was white.
• Age: 80% of the respondents were in the age group 22 to 37 years old. The
largest group was between 26 and 33 years old. The average age was 33,3
years.
• Sex: All 30 respondents were male.
• Scholastic education: The majority of the respondents (76%) had grade 8 to
12 qualifications. Fifty-three per cent of the respondents had only a basic
qualification (that is, up to grade 7) or no qualification at all. Only 20% had
matric and not one of the 30 respondents had any post-school
qualifications.
• Family circumstances: 70% of the house robbers came from broken homes
or single-parent families. Only 30% had grown up in a balanced home.
• Criminal record: The respondents had been involved in less serious offences
from an early age and had progressed to more serious criminal offences,
such as house robbery.
Question 2
Identify one of the following factors that fueled taxi conflict in its early years.
1. Unmonitored mushrooming of taxi organisations as well as taxi wars
2. Use of excessive force to safeguard routes as well as capital accumulation
3. Organisational influences as well as fighting for lucrative routes
4. Rapid deregulation of transport as well as underlying political forces
Answer: The correct answer is (4)
Refer: CMY3706 Study Guide, pg. 76, Section 3.1.4.2(b)
Reasoning: it is possible to identify specific factors that fueled the taxi conflict in its early years.
Chief among the determinants during the late-apartheid period was the rapid
deregulation of transport, which precipitated an unchecked rise of taxi associations
that contributed to the spread of violence, along with various underlying political
forces.
,3 CMY3706 Contemporary Criminological Issues – Exam Q&A’s
Question 3
Regarding the planning of a CIT attack, Thobane (2014) states that robbers spend ___ planning a
single robbery.
1. one day to one week
2. one week to two months
3. one to two months
4. two to three months
Answer: The correct answer is (2)
Refer: CMY3706 Study Guide, pg. 192, Section 5.3.6
Reasoning: As discussed by Thobane (2014:201), CIT robbers take about one week to two
months to plan their attack.
Question 4
Residential segregation, differential access to social amenities and limiting economic and
employment opportunities are examples of ___.
1. instigating factors associated with xenophobic attacks
2. political and value socialisations rooted to xenophobic conflict
3. factors used to fuel personal hatred towards strangers
4. poorly managed Interpersonal relations
Answer: The correct answer is (1)
Refer: CMY3706 Study Guide, pg. 107, Section 3.3.4
Reasoning: Instigating factors associated with xenophobic attacks may be found in residential
segregation; distinctive physical features (such as skin pigmentation or height);
peculiar dress and food cultures; differing religious affiliations; and differential
access to health facilities, social amenities and economic (including employment)
opportunities.
Question 5
The four typologies of gangs proposed by Roloff (2014) include ___.
1. Youth and prison gangs
2. Crews and cliques
3. Coloured and black gangs
4. Syndicates and delinquents
Answer: The correct answer is (2)
Refer: CMY3706 Study Guide, pp. 146-147, Section 4.1.6.4
Reasoning: The four typologies of gangs in the Western Cape
• Crews
• Cliques
• Street Gangs
• Prison Gangs
, 4 CMY3706 Contemporary Criminological Issues – Exam Q&A’s
Question 6
Terminology such as parricide, matricide and filicide is associated with which type of interpersonal
violence phenomena?
1. Child abuse
2. Family homicide
3. Family violence
4. Sociocultural abuse
Answer: The correct answer is (2)
Refer: CMY3706 Study Guide, pg. 45, Section 2.1.4.5
Reasoning: Family homicide refers to incidents of interpersonal violence between members of a
family, one as the victim and another as the perpetrator. Terminology
associated with this phenomenon is:
• parricide – the killing of one’s parents
• matricide – the killing of one’s mother
• patricide – the killing of one’s father
• filicide – the murder of a child by a parent
• siblicide – the murder of one sibling by another
Question 7
What is the main motive for robberies at commercial premises?
1. Excitement
2. Greed
3. Desperation
4. Monetary gain
Answer: The correct answer is (4)
Refer: CMY3706 Study Guide, pg. 206, Section 5.4.5
Reasoning: Commercial institutions are generally robbed for monetary reasons – the robbers
want money and they choose a business, because generally more money can be
robbed from a business site than from a residential site. Their reasons why they
need money range from greed to desperation. Some robbers might need money to
support their drug addiction, while others might be desperately in need of food and
shelter. Others still might be driven by pure greed and see robbery as a way to make
quick money.
Question 8
The root cause of political violence in South Africa is found in the country's long history of ___.
1. social inequality, political structures and poverty
2. socio-political oppression, exploitation and political structures
3. socio-political oppression, exploitation and poverty
4. social inequality, exploitation and political structures
Answer: The correct answer is (3)
Refer: CMY3706 Study Guide, pg. 90, Section 3.2.3
